Phonograph for toys



Dec. 7, 1965 B. DEGAETANO 3,222,013

PHONOGRAPH FOR TOYS Filed April 1, 1963 m Wm m 1% 4 N Tia. 3.

United States Patent F 3,222,073 PHONOGRAPH FOR TOYS Ben Degaetano, 177 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, N.Y.

Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,302 4 Claims. (Cl. 2749) This invention relates to toy sound producing apparatus and more particularly it concerns an improved record player for use in toy dolls, telephones and the like.

The use of recordings within toys for the purpose of imparting a quality of realism to them is well known. Of the various techniques for producing desired sounds and speech, the conventional mechanical recording arrangement, wherein a needle follows an inwardly spiralled groove in a disk record, is perhaps the most desirable both from the standpoint of fidelity and length of play. Mechanical type sound reproduction however, has generally required a much more quiescent environment for proper operation than is usually given to toys. Also, the high degree of precision and quality of workmanship required in conventional record players has generally prohibited any widespread application of such devices to the toy industry.

According to one feature of my invention, there is provided a very low cost and rugged mechanical type record playing apparatus suitable for use in toys and similar applications. This apparatus is battery driven and is capable of automatically switching off upon completion of play.

According to another feature of my invention, such automatic toy record playing device includes a novel switching arrangement which is simple and inexpensive and yet permits continued dependable operation even after considerable abuse. This switching arrangement, :in one aspect, effects simultaneous initial positioning of a sound pickup element on the record as well as initiation of rotation of the record upon the pushing of a reset button. In another aspect, the novel switching arrangement effects automatic switching off of the record upon completion of play.

There has been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, an in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partially in section, of an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation, partially in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section view taken through line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a modification of a portion of the illustrative embodiment.

The illustrative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-3,

3,222,073 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 "ice includes a flat base element 10 upon which a turntable 12 is mounted for rotation. An electrical drive means, such as an electric motor 14, is attached to the other side of the base element and has an output spindle 16 which protrudes upwardly through the base It at a point outside the periphery of the turntable 12. A rubber band belt drive 18 connects the turntable 12 with the motor output spindle 16 so that it may be driven by the motor. The motor 14 in turn is powered from a voltage source such as a battery 20, mounted on the underside of the base element 10 by means of electrically conductive clips 22.

A record disk 24 is mounted on the turntable 12 for rotation therewith. The record disk is provided with inwardly spiralling grooves having surface irregularities patterned according to the acoustical vibrations or sounds to be produced by the device. These spiralled grooves act as guides for a pickup needle while the irregularities thereon cause the needle to vibrate a sound producing speaker diaphragm in the usual manner. While the principles of acoustical sound production are similar in the present embodiment to that which occurs in conventional mechanical record playing devices, the present apparatus is adapted for toys in that the various grooves are somewhat deeper and more rugged than are the grooves in conventional disk recordings. Also, the record disk in the present embodiment is only about three inches in diameter; and if desired may be provided with several interspersed but independent sound tracks or grooves so that difierent sound sequences may be produced upon successive playings of the record.

A pickup needle 26 is provided to ride in the grooves of the record disk 24 and to vibrate with the various irregularities along these grooves. Mounting means are provided to maintain the needle in proper orientation relative to the rotating record disk 24 while the needle rides in the various record grooves and moves from the periphery of the record towards its center. The mounting means includes a speaker unit 28, a movable arm 30, a fixed standard 32 and a hold-down spring 34. The speaker unit 28 comprises a generally dish-shaped vibratory diaphragm 36, preferably of stiff paper or cardboard, and through the center of which the pickup needle 26 extends. The pickup needle is connected to the diaphragm 36 through a bell-shaped connector 38 (shown in FIG. 3). The needle is force fitted into the connector which is then filled with an adhesive, such as liquid solder, and, adhered to the convex side of the diaphragm- This arrangement has been found to improve the fidelity of sound reproduction and at the same time to provide a more rugged structure. The movable arm 30 is shown to be stamped out of sheet metal such as steel, and shaped at least partially to incase and to support the speaker unit 28. The arm 30 is loosely connected to the fixed standard 32 in a manner allowing the arm to swing in a generally horizontal direction above the turntable 12 and the record disk 24. In this manner the pickup needle 26 is maintained in proper orientation relative to the record disk 24 while being free to move from the periphery to the center of the disk as it follows the various sound tracks or grooves.

The movable arm 30 fits loosely in a reduced diameter portion 40 near the top of the fixed standard 32. A coiled element 42, which forms part of the hold-down spring 34, is also located on the reduced diameter portion 40 of the standard 32, immediately above the movable arm 30 and operates to urge the movable arm in a downward direction so that the pickup needle 26 is maintained under substantially constant pressure in the grooves of the record disk 24. The hold-down spring 34 also has a cantilevered extended element 44 which reaches across the speaker unit 28 and operates to hold down the outermost portion of the movable arm 30. This effects an evenness in the pressure applied to the pickup needle 26, and at the same time permits a rather loosely controlled overall mechanical construction. Such arrangement is particularly advantageous in that it permits the device to be played while in a tilted or even in an upside down position.

A return cam element 48 is located on the underside of the movable arm 30 approximately midway between the speaker unit 28 and the fixed standard 32. This cam is generally wedge shaped in a direction tangential to the rotational direction of movement of the movable arm about the standard 32; so that an upwardly moving object coming into contact with the return cam element will cause the movable arm 30 to swing about the standard in a direction such that the pickup needle is moved toward the outer periphery of the record disk 24.

A tubular guide element 50 rises from the base element immediately below the return cam element 48. A cam actuator pin 52 extends through the tubular guide element and is movable in a direction toward and away from the return cam element. The cam actuator pin is biased in a downward position by means of a coil spring 54 extending between the underside of the base element 10 and a flanged member 56 attached to the pin below the base element. The cam actuator pin is provided with a rounded flanged top 58 which prevents it from being pulled out of the tubular guide element 50. The rounded top contacts the return cam 48 when the cam actuator pin is pushed upwardly into the base and cooperates with the return cam to reposition the pickup needle 26 to a point near the outer periphery of the record to initiate playing of the record.

An important feature of the configuration of the return cam, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is that it is rounded both in its wedged direction and in a direction transverse thereto. The rounded surfaces of the return cam and of the head of the return cam actuator pin cooperate to insure smooth and positive return action upon depression of the cam actuator pin even though the manufacturing tolerances of these parts are not held to extremely close limits. A furtherfeature of this rounded cam arrangement is that initial contact of the return cam actuator pin with the return cam causes the entire mounting arrangement to move upwardly, thus disengaging the pickup needle from the record disk prior to swinging of the movable arm and pickup needle toward the periphery of the record. This reduces the possibility of scratching the record with each new playing thereof and contributes greatly to increasing the overall life of the apparatus.

In order to insure that the depression of the return cam actuator pin does not cause movement of the pickup needle beyond the record periphery, a start of play abutment 60 is provided to intercept movement of the pickup arm beyond a certain point. This start of play abutment is rigidly mounted relative to the base element 10 in any well known manner. It may for example, be formed as part of a covering for the unit to which the base 10 is attached.

An end of play turn-off switch 61 is provided for stopping the record upon completion of each playing thereof. This end of play switch includes a fixed switch element 62 and a displaceable switch element 64 in normally closed or touching relation. These elements are connected in series circuit relationship with the electric motor 14 and the battery by means of leads 66. The fixed switch element 62 is in the form of a washer and is mounted in a recess 67 at the center of the record disk 24. The fixed element is connected through a tubular shaped conductor 68 to a terminal 70 under the base element 10. The terminal 70, in turn, is connected through one of the leads 66 to the battery 20. The tubular shaped conductor 68 also serves as a journal about which the turntable 12 and record disk 24 rotate on the base element 10.

The displaceable switch element 64 is preferably of a very low inertia, highly resilient material such as piano wire. This element extends above and across the record disk 24 to a fixed mounting terminal 72 on the base element 10. The mounting terminal in turn is connected via one of the leads 66 to the electric motor 14. The displaceable switch element is bent to form a contact protrusion 74 which normally maintains positive contact with the fixed switch element 62 near the center of the record disk. The outer end of the displaceable switch element is bent upwardly at an angle to form an engaging portion 75 which extends across or traverses the path of rotation of the mounting means. The location and angle of the engaging portion are chosen so that when the pickup needle reaches its end of play near the center of the record disk, the side of the speaker unit 28 will contact the engaging portion 75 of the displaceable switch element causing it to move upwardly, thus lifting the contact protrusion 74 off from the fixed switch element 62 to break contact between the battery 20 and the motor 14, thus stopping rotation of the record.

In a modified form substantially all of the resiliency of the displaceable switch element is concentrated into a given region. As shown in FIG. 5, the modified displaceable switch element 64' extends from its fixed mounting terminal 72 to a resilient coiled portion 65 from which it rises to its proper position above the record disk. The coiled portion 65 provides added resiliency to insure that the switch element is not moved beyond acceptable elastic limits.

In order to prevent the displaceable switch element from becoming bent or from sliding 01f the fixed switch element, a flanged spindle 76 is provided centrally of the tubular bearing journal in the record disk 24. The head of the spindle limits upward movement of the switch element while its lateral surface prevents undue transverse movement of the element. There is also provided an end of play abutment 78 which is rigidly mounted relative to the base element 10 in a manner similar to the start of play abutment 60 described above, and which has an abutment surface positioned to be engaged by a portion of the mounting means, such as the side of the speaker unit 28, after the end of play switch has been opened. This arrangement further protects the displaceable switch element 64 from damage by the mounting means when the device is dropped or suddenly jarred.

To operate the device, the cam actuator pin 52 is depressed so that its rounded top 58 pushes upwardly against the return cam element 48. This upward movement is transmitted through the loose connection between the movable arm 30 and the fixed standard 32 and is absorbed in the hold-down spring 34. The speaker unit and pickup needle are thereby raised upwardly out of engagement with the record disk 24. Further depression of the actuating pin causes the speaker unit and the pickup needle to swing toward the outer periphery of the record until the side of the speaker unit contacts the start of play abutment 60. This movement of the speaker unit also permits closing of the end of play turn otf switch 61 so that the motor 14 begins to drive the turntable 12 and the record disk 24.

When the cam actuator pin 52 is released, the holddown spring forces the movable arm and the speaker unit downwardly until the pickup needle becomes engaged in the grooves of the record. As play continues, the movable arm swings with movement of the needle toward the center of the record. Upon completion of the playing of the record, the speaker unit contacts the engaging portion 75 of the displaceable switch element causing it to move upwardly. This breaks the contact between the displaceable and fixed switch contacts to stop rotation of the record disk 24.

It will be appreciated that with this arrangement there is provided a very sturdy and dependable yet simple and low cost sound producing device, suitable for use in connection with toys and the like. Also, apparatus may easily be adapted to handle various record disks and may be adjusted for different lengths of record playing time simply by adjusting the bend of the engaging portion 75 of the displaceable switch element 64.

Having thus described my invention with particular reference to the preferred form thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy sound producing apparatus comprising a base element, a spirally grooved disk record mounted to rotate on said base element, means operative to rotate said disk record, a movable arm loosely mounted at one end on said base element for pivotal movement in a generally horizontal direction above said disk record, a pickup needle supported by said arm near its other end, and starting means including a cam element located on the under surface of said movable arm, said cam element being generally wedge shaped to effect movement of said pickup needle to a starting position on said disk record upon upward movement thereagainst of a cam actuating element, said cam element further being of overall rounded configuration, said starting means further including an elongated cam actuator member movable upwardly from said base element against said cam element, said actuator member having a rounded head which engages the rounded surface of said cam element for simultaneous lifting and pivoting of said arm to bring said needle to a starting position in a single operation without scraping on said record.

2. The sound producing device described in claim 1 further including an abutment element rigidly mounted relative to said base element in the return path of said mounting means at a position corresponding to a preselected initial position of said pickup needle on said disk record whereby said abutment element cooperates with starting means to eifect simple and accurate initial positioning of said pickup needle and further operates to prevent undue movement of said mounting means under sudden or excessive jolting.

3. The sound producing device described in claim 1 wherein said movable arm is made of flattened metal and said rounded cam element is die stamped therein.

4. In a toy sound producing apparatus of the type having a rotatable spirally grooved record and a pickup needle resiliently biased against said record and mounted on a swingable arm for translatory movement along said record as it turns, the improvement which comprises a generally wedge shaped cam element fixed on said swingable arm and facing on the needle side of said arm, an elongated cam actuator member mounted on said apparatus for longitudinal movement against said cam element in a direction transverse to the direction of swing of said arm for lifting said arm and swinging it simultaneously to reposition said needle as said cam atcuator member is pushed against said cam element and spring bias means urging said cam actuator member away from said cam element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,027,727 1/ 1936 Frank 27427 2,598,026 5/1952 Warner 2749 X 2,780,466 2/1957 Like 2749 2,866,646 12/1958 Kindred 2749 X 2,893,738 7/1959 Kent 2749 3,055,664 9/1962 Curci 2749 X 3,105,690 10/1963 Lea 2749 3,109,655 11/1963 Lea 2749 FOREIGN PATENTS 725,755 3/ 1955 Great Britain.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN A TOY SOUND PRODUCING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A ROTATABLE SPIRALLY GROOVED RECORD AND A PICKUP NEEDLE RESILIENTLY BIASED AGAINST SAID RECORD AND MOUNTED ON A SWINGABLE ARM FOR TRANSLATORY MOVEMENT ALONG SAID RECORD AS ITS TURNS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A GENERALLY WEDGE SHAPED CAM ELEMENT FIXED ON SAID SWINGABLE ARM AND FACING ON THE NEEDLE SIDE OF SAID ARM, AN ELONGATED CAM ACTUATOR MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID AP- 